We’re in the heyday of online selling. There’s an abundance of online marketplaces for casual sellers who want a side hustle while decluttering their house. And, there’s a variety of platforms for budding entrepreneurs ready to start their own eCommerce business.
The only problem with having so many great choices is which selling site is the best?
It all comes down to your needs as a seller. Are you looking to offload some old baby clothes? Or are you ready to start an online dog bakery? Do you want to profit from your love of vintage furniture?
Seriously, there are stellar choices for everyone. To help you find the best online selling site, we’re breaking down the top options, explaining how they work, how much it costs, and the pros & cons of each platform.
|
Shopify |
Etsy |
eBay |
Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Best for creating a personalized online eCommerce site |
Best for handmade, unique, or vintage goods |
Best for collectible, antique, or expensive items |
Best for reliability and trust |
|
Starts at $29/month |
Charges $0.20/listing + 5% transaction fee |
Seller subscriptions start at $4.95/month |
$0.99/item if you’re selling under 40 items a month + misc. selling fees |
Table of Contents
1. Shopify
Best for creating a personalized online store
Shopify is a full-blown eCommerce platform that allows you to design and launch your own online store. This selling site isn’t for decluttering your house or selling a few items, but Shopify has incredible features if you want to start your own eCommerce business.
Start a free 14-day trial on Shopify
Create your custom Shopify shop and choose from 8 free and fully customizable themes.
You can sell virtually anything on Shopify too. You can sell handcrafted items, food, clothes, accessories, merchandise related to your blog or social media site, etc.
Shopify even has point-of-sale tools for in-person purchases, you can add Shopify buy buttons for your existing blog or website, there are marketing tools, and dozens of integrations to create a user-friendly site.
There’s also a wide variety of pricing and plans for beginners to advanced shop owners.
|
Basic Shopify |
Shopify |
Advanced |
|---|---|---|
|
$29/month |
$79/month |
$299/month |
|
Best for new eCommerce owners with occasional in-person sales |
Best for growing businesses selling online or in-person |
Best for scaling businesses that require advanced reporting |
You can check out this guide to starting a Shopify store: Shopify for Beginners | How to Create & Launch Your Shopify Site.
Pros and cons of selling on Shopify:
Pros
- Abundant customization features. Shopify has beautiful, customizable templates, and there are lots of plug-ins to get the most out of your site.
- Free trial. You can try Shopify for free for 14 days, which gives you a chance to set up your site before you commit to a monthly plan.
Cons
- Pricing. Shopify fees can add up – there is the monthly subscription fee, platform transaction fees, credit card fees, add-ons and plug-ins
- Poor content marketing features. Content marketing, like blogging, is a huge marketing medium for eCommerce, but Shopify lacks in this area, especially if you’re used to WordPress.
2. Etsy
Best online selling site for handmade goods
Since Etsy launched in 2005, it’s become one of the largest global eCommerce platforms, and it’s specifically great for selling handmade, artsy, unique, and vintage goods.
Etsy has an incredibly streamlined process for setting up your site and creating your listings. It takes just a few minutes to get your listings up, and that’s true for complete newbies.
What Etsy offers in ease, they lack in customization. Etsy sellers can create customizable banners and highlight featured listings, but you’re not designing a site like you would with Shopify. Nothing wrong with this difference — it’s just worth mentioning.
To sell on Etsy, there are two pricing plans for sellers.
|
Etsy Standard |
Etsy Plus |
|---|---|
|
$0 monthly fee |
$10/month |
|
$0.20 fee per listing + 5% transaction fee |
$0.20 fee per listing + 5% transaction fee |
|
Gives you all of the basic tools you need to start your online store. |
Comes with access to more advanced tools, including custom domains, monthly Etsy ads budget, discounts on custom packaging, and more. |
Pros and Cons of Selling on Etsy
Pros
- Wide reach for makers. Makers of handmade goods used to rely on craft fairs and word-of-mouth, but Etsy gives you a much, much wider reach.
- Built-in analytics. You can track sales, traffic to your page, revenue, and more.
Cons
- Listing and transaction fees. Many makers find it hard to recoup their costs, and Etsy’s fees make it even more difficult.
- Potential market saturation. Everyone is trying to find the next big thing to sell on Etsy, and it leads to stiff competition in certain niches.
3. Amazon
Most well-known and trusted online selling site
We can’t talk about the best online selling sites without mentioning this giant, and back in 2019, Amazon reported it sells more than 4,000 items per minute. Wow!
Amazon has earned customers’ trust over the years by verifying sellers and trying to keep counterfeit products out of the marketplace. They also have incredibly fast and affordable shipping, and we can’t forget that you can buy almost anything on Amazon.
So, how does Amazon work for sellers?
Surprisingly, you don’t need to be a retail giant or established business owner to start selling on Amazon. Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) is one of the first places sellers start. You send items to an Amazon fulfillment center. And once your items sell, Amazon packs, ships, and provides customer service for your products.
Selling on Amazon FBA takes a lot of the work out of selling, but you’ll still need to procure your items, list them, and drive traffic to your listings.
There are two seller tiers on Amazon and associated fees:
|
Individual |
Professional |
|---|---|
|
$0.99/item sold (plus additional selling fees) |
$39.99/month no matter how many items you sell (plus additional selling fees) |
Best for:
| Best for:
|
You only need an Individual plan to sell on Amazon FBA, but there are additional fulfillment fees (to cover the storage, packing, picking, and shipping items) that depend on the type of item, size, and weight.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Amazon
Pros
- You don’t have to store your products. Amazon FBA is a great option for sellers who don’t have the space or bandwidth to handle storage, packing, shipping, and customer service.
- Built-in trust and reliability. People trust Amazon, and as a seller, that benefit is almost immediate.
Cons
- Highly competitive. The downside of selling on one of the most trusted and recognizable online selling sites is that everyone else wants to do it, too. Keeping your prices competitive, offering excellent customer service, product availability, and on-time orders will help you build your ratings and therefore sales.
- Selling fees. Besides the cost to list on Amazon, sellers face a host of fees based on the type of products they sell. And if you sell on FBA, there are even more fees. You’ll need to stay focused on your margins low to stay profitable.
4. eBay
Best online selling site for unique, vintage, collectible, or expensive items
eBay is the OG online marketplace, dating back to 1995 (that’s old in internet years). Since its creation, eBay has become incredibly well known for buyers and sellers who are interested in antiques, collectibles, vintage pieces, and more.
There’s also a lot of weird stuff on eBay, like haunted rubber ducks or a cornflake shaped like Illinois.
Sellers have two main options for listing items:
- Fixed price listing: You sell your item on-demand to one buyer
- Auction listing: Buyers can bid on your item, and the highest bid takes the sale
No matter which selling option you choose, you get to set the minimum selling price on eBay..
There are several different fees you need to know about to sell on eBay:
- Insertion fee: Based on the category you’re selling in, but most categories give you the first 250 listings free each month, and then it’s $0.35 after that.
- Final value fee: You’re charged a percentage ranging from 2.35% to 15% of the sale plus $0.30 per order.
- Upgrades: Pay for entirely optional upgrades like auction-style, reserve price, international site visibility, subtitle, and more.
There are also five different store levels to choose from if you want to open an eBay store:
|
Starter |
Basic |
Premium |
Anchor | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$4.95/ month |
$21.95/ month |
$59.95/ month |
$299.95/ month |
$2,999.95/month |
|
Best for small sellers who are just starting out |
Comes with zero insertion fees and discounted final value fees |
Even more zero insertion fees |
For high-volume sellers who will benefit from dedicated customer support |
For sellers who have an extensive product list, high-volume sales, and want dedicated customer support |
Pros and Cons of Selling on eBay
Pros
- Broad reach for anything. eBay is great if you’re selling in a niche market and want a wide reach.
- Very scalable. This selling site has pricing and features that allow you to start small and scale your business at your own pace.
Cons
- Confusing seller fees. eBay charges fees based on what level of seller you are and the type of items you’re selling. This can make it confusing to compare selling on eBay to other best online selling sites
- Competitive niches. Because so many people choose eBay for their chosen niche, the competition can be stuff. You’ll want to do some research before listing to be strategic in your listings.
5. Chairish
One of the best-selling sites for furniture and home decor
Charisish is specifically for selling new and gently used (and largely designer) furniture and home decor. It’s free to list on Chairish, but you’ll pay a commission that ranges from 20% to 30% based on your selling plan.
Here are the Chairish’s selling plans and commissions:
Chairish is one of the most popular online selling sites for interior designers to find new pieces. They can browse anything around the country and find exactly what they’re looking for. So, this is a great selling site if you have unique, vintage, or antique pieces of furniture and home decor to sell.
This marketplace is also worth checking out if you design and manufacture your own pieces. You’d be considered a Professional seller and pay a 30% commission, though.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Chairish:
Pros
- Chairish focuses on high-end items. Customers willing to pay top dollar for furniture and home decor use Chairish, so you’ll probably be able to sell your items for more than other sites.
- A marketplace to sell your own designs. If you design and manufacture your own furniture and home decor, Chairish gives you a broad audience from the start.
Cons
- High commissions. You pay 20% to 30% of each sale to Chairish.
- Slower sales. Top-dollar listings generally have more thoughtful sellers. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can slow your sales down.
6. Decluttr
Sell your gently used electronics to Decluttr
If you want a super simple way to sell your gently used electronics and media, Decluttr is worth checking out. You don’t have to hassle with listing things for sale or dealing with buyers — Decluttr buys from you and then resells on its online marketplace.
Sell your old tech hassle-free on Decluttr
Decluttr will buy your gently used tech and media, and they send next-day payment through PayPal or direct deposit.
Here’s how Decluttr works:
- Get a free valuation. You scan the item’s barcode or enter information about the make, model, and condition of the item, and Decluttr gives you an instant price. They guarantee that price for 28 days.
- Ship your items. Decluttr emails you a pre-paid shipping label to print. Just print it up and ship your item to Decluttr. You can ship from the UPS store, customer center, or an authorized retail outlet.
- Get paid. After Decluttr receives your item, they look it over and remove any personal data. You get paid the day after Decluttr receives your item, and you can get paid via direct deposit, PayPal, or Decluttr will donate to a charity.
Decluttr specializes in buying tech, like old cell phones, video games, video game consoles, laptops, tablets, CDs, DVDs, and more.
Pros and Cons of Selling on Decluttr:
Pros
- Decluttr makes it incredibly easy to sell stuff. It’s a very hands-off selling process. They give you a price, there’s no haggling with customers, writing listings, and so on.
- Shipping is covered for you. Decluttr emails you a pre-paid shipping label as soon as you accept their price.
Cons
- You won’t get top dollar selling on Decluttr. You can’t even negotiate for a better price.
- Not all items are accepted. Decluttr is picky about what they accept, and you don’t know what they’ll accept until they receive it and check out the condition. Decluttr will return your tech in those cases.
7. Poshmark
One of the best online selling sites for new or gently worn clothes, shoes, and accessories.
Poshmark says they see 1 sale every second in the U.S., so it’s no surprise that they’re one of the most popular places to buy and sell women’s and men’s clothes and accessories online.
The best-selling items on Poshmark are secondhand, on-trend clothes. You can list virtually anything on Poshmark, but the brands that sell the most are lululemon, Nike, Free People, Victoria’s Secret, Coach, American Eagle Outfitters, J.Crew, UGG, and Michael Kors.
It’s simple to create an account on Poshmark and start selling, and Poshmark has features that help sellers get their items seen, like tagging features, Posh stories (similar to Facebook or Instagram stories), and bundling items to enable a discount.
It’s always free to list items for sale on Poshmark, but there are some fees to be aware of:
- A flat fee of $2.95 for items under $15
- 20% fee for items over $15
Pros and cons of selling on Poshmark:
Pros
- Shipping is super easy. The buyer pays a flat fee and Poshmark emails you a label to print off. You also have the option to offer discounted shipping — you pay the difference — as a way to attract sales.
- Selling features. Poshmark has features to help you sell, like bundles, special deal days, and stories.
Cons
- High seller fees. Poshmark takes 20% of your earnings for sales over $15 and $2.95 for sales under $15.
- Takes a decent amount of effort. Poshmark uses algorithms to show your items to buyers, meaning you need to learn how to write searchable listings, use tags, and share your listing to help them move up in the search.
8. Facebook Marketplace
Best social media selling marketplace
Whether you love Facebook or not, you can’t deny that Facebook Marketplace is a game-changer for online sellers worldwide. It’s become such a popular place to sell things online because of how many people use Facebook every day — that’s 1.93 billion daily active users if you wanted to know.
Facebook Marketplace serves a wide variety of sellers too, from average people who want to use it as a virtual garage sale to savvy online merchants. In fact, there’s a Facebook-Shopify integration to promote your Shopify products on Facebook Marketplace.
Cost of selling on Facebook Marketplace
One of the major draws of selling on Facebook Marketplace is that it’s free for anyone to list items on Marketplace. However, sellers who are on Facebook as merchants pay a fee when they make a sale, which is:
- 5% of the total asking price, or
- A minimum of $0.40
Pros and Cons Selling on Facebook Marketplace:
Pros
- Simplified selling. It’s easy for sellers to post ads, and just as easy for customers to find what you’re selling.
- Broad audience. With over 1.93 million daily users, you can get put your products in front of a vast audience.
Cons
- Customer communication can be frustrating. Customers can easily use Chat to let you know they’re interested, but it can produce canned responses that make it tough to gauge interest.
- Facebook doesn’t vet buyers or sellers. This isn’t uncommon, but when you combine it with the sheer number of daily users, Facebook Marketplace sees a lot of scammers.
9. OfferUp
One of the best online selling sites for free, local sales
OfferUp is a free online marketplace for selling things locally, everything from clothes, musical instruments, furniture, books, and much more.
This site is super straightforward— you list items for sale, communicate with potential buyers through the site, agree on the sale, and meet in person to complete the sale. OfferUp suggests cash payments, but you can accept cash, PayPal, Venmo, etc.
There are no fees for selling on OfferUp, and all of the sales take place off-site. If you want a larger reach, you can agree to ship things you sell, but you’ll have to work out shipping with the buyer.
Pros and Cons of Selling of OfferUp
Pros
- No fees. It’s free to sign up for OfferUp, and there aren’t any fees for listing or commissions.
- Local sales and nationwide sales. If you prefer the simplicity of local sales, you can stick with local-only. Or, you can setup your listing for a wider reach and offer to ship.
Cons
- Poor user experience. OfferUp isn’t the most beautiful site or app, and some reviews report glitches.
- Costly premium plan. You can pay extra to promote your listings through OfferUp’s Promote Plus plan, which is $19.99/month.
How to Choose the Best Online Selling Site for Your Needs
There are so many great options out there, but deciding which platform is the best place to sell things online largely depends on your needs.
Here’s what you need to consider when choosing an online selling site:
- Niche: What you’re selling can play a major role. For example, if you want to sell handknit hats, Etsy is the clear choice, not DeCluttr. Make sure the platform specializes in your niche-specific needs.
- Target audience: If you want international reach, selling on Shopify or Amazon would be the way to go.
- Price: Keep an eye on your bottom line when you look at the fees. Someone who is simply decluttering their house doesn’t need to pay a monthly subscription — that’s better for someone who will see continued, volume selling.
- Scalability: If you’re looking to start and grow an eCommerce business, think about how a platform will enable you to do so.
- Features: Many of the best online selling sites have advanced selling features, but look for ones that aid you.
The Final Word: Which Website is Best for Online Selling?
There are so many incredible options right now, but it comes down to your goals and what you’re selling. Here are my top picks based on that:
- Shopify – Best for creating a personalized eCommerce site
- Etsy – Best for handmade, artsy, and unique items
- Amazon – Best for trust and reliability
- eBay – Best for vintage, collectible, and expensive items
- Charish – Best online selling site for furniture and home decor
- Poshmark – Best for clothing, shoes, and accessories
- Facebook Marketplace – Best social media selling marketing
- OfferUp – Best online selling site for local sales